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Thai Food is eaten with a fork and spoon. Even single-dish meals such as fried rice with pork, or steamed rice topped with roasted duck, are served in bite-sized slices or chunks obviating the need for a knife. The spoon is used to convey food to the mouth. Ideally, eating Thai food is a communal affair involving two or more people, principally because the greater the number of diners the greater the number of dishes ordered. Generally speaking, two diners order three dishes in addition to their own individual plates of steamed rice, three diners four dishes, and so on. Diners chooses whatever they require from shared dishes and generally add it to their own rice. Soups are enjoyed concurrently with other dishes, not independently. Spicy dishes are 'balanced' by bland dishes to avoid discomfort. The ideal Thai meal is a harmonious blend of the spicy, the subtle, the sweet-and-sour, and is meant to be equally satisfying to eye, nose and palate. A typical meal might include a clear soup, a steamed dish, a fried dish, a hot salad and a variety of sauces into which the food is dipped. This would be followed by sweet desserts and/or fresh fruits such as mangoes, durian, jackfruit, papaya, grapes or melon. |